Children Look Toward Bright Future After Time At Mt. Saint Vincent

DENVER (CBS4)- Mount Saint Vincent is a safe place for children in need who have endured traumatic experiences or suffer from mental health issues.

The safe haven offers children education, therapy and support as they nurture them back to health.

The compassionate staff also helps set the precedence for the children's journey towards a healthy and fulfilling life.

Trinity is one of those children.

"The Trinity that walked out of the door here is compassionate, kind and bright and he has a huge future," said Heidi.

Now he's decorating Christmas cookies with his grandmother, Heidi, at Mount Saint Vincent but he wasn't always looking toward a bright future.

"We went from Trinity setting fires, hurting animals and threatening suicide," said Heidi.

"I had my good times and my bad times here but then I got better and better," said Trinity.

On this day children at Mount Saint Vincent's are opening presents, some for the very first time.

The children who come to the center, by age nine on average, have lived in a dozen homes and endured several challenges like physical abuse, neglect, sexual assault, poverty and mental illness.

"We have a residential treatment center, ages five through 12, and a day treatment center where the children can come to school and also get therapy," said Mount Saint Vincent Clinical Director spokesman Kirk Ward.

Those treatments may include music or dance movement therapy.

Ward said Mount Saint Vincent is one of four institutions in the world that implements a special trauma therapy for children.

Heidi believes the caring staff helped give her grandson a second chance at life.

Trinity at Mount Saint Vincent (credit: CBS)

"Every success that Trinity has from the day he graduates high school, the day he gets married, the day he gets a child baptized, I will be closing my eyes and saying, 'Thank God for this school,'" said Heidi.

LINK: msvhome.org